The Best Lighting for a Bearded Dragon

Providing the best lighting for a bearded dragon is very important for its health. Special lighting is needed to replicate the natural sunlight a bearded dragon receives in the wild.

Just like humans, bearded dragons receive ultraviolet (or UV) radiation from the sun which is needed to maintain good health. With keeping bearded dragons as pets we need to supply artificial UV radiation by the way of specially designed light bulbs.

Let’s go over the best lighting for a bearded dragon available today.

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Fluorescent Tube Bulbs

Fluorescent bulbs are the most widely used bulbs on the market today. These bulbs are relatively inexpensive, energy-efficient, and provide the proper wavelengths of UV rays to accommodate bearded dragons.

Not just any fluorescent tube will do, you need to use bulbs that are specifically designed and manufactured for reptiles. Regular household fluorescent tubes do not have the UV output needed to benefit a captive-raised reptile.

Select a fluorescent size that best fits your terrarium. You want the bulb to extend across as much of the full length of the terrarium as possible.

There are some cons to using this style lighting:

The bulbs usually need to be placed within twelve inches of the bearded dragon so that it receives sufficient radiation.

The bulbs can become weaker over time requiring frequent replacement. The general rule of thumb is to replace fluorescent tubes every 6 months.

Remember to always use fluorescent tubes that are specifically designed for reptiles and have a high UV output for bearded dragons. We highly recommend two fluorescent tube bulbs that provide adequate UV radiation:

Compact Fluorescent Bulbs

Compact fluorescent bulbs are relatively new to the reptile world. These bulbs are just like the high-efficiency “squiggly” bulbs that are being used in the home today.

The one exception is that the bulbs needed for reptiles has a much higher intensity and UV output over regular household types.

One advantage to using compact fluorescents is that they are much smaller in size and do not require a long ballast hood (Amazon.com) like fluorescent tubes. Compact fluorescents can be placed in a dome fixture (Amazon.com) which helps to save space and money in the long term.

Like tube bulbs, compact bulbs should be replaced every six months. The compacts do have a longer life, but still tend to lose intensity and output as they age.

There has been some instances of compact fluorescents being blamed for blindness in some reptiles. The bulbs are so intense and bright that some reptile owners claimed they “burned” the eyes of their pets, similar to staring at the sun too long. Although we have never had any issues with using compact fluorescents, it’s worth mentioning so you can make sound choices for your own bearded dragon.

Mercury vapor bulbs are very efficient for supplying UVB and UVA rays and tend to last much longer than fluorescents. Most mercury vapor bulbs do not need replacing for about a year, and do not lose output strength as quickly as fluorescent types.

Always Provide Excellent Lighting for Your Bearded Dragon

It is important to always provide the best lighting for a bearded dragon on a daily light cycle. Using poor lighting and not maintaining the bulbs can have very serious health consequences, resulting in loss of appetite, Metabolic Bone Disease and even death.

Generally, only one lighting bulb is required to supply much needed radiation to your bearded dragon. How many bulbs you require depends on the configuration of your terrarium. Large terrariums may need more than one bulb. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for set-up and placement of bulbs.

Reader Interactions

Comments

I have a reptisun 5.0 UVB bulb and i also have a Zoo Med basking spot lamp and a nocturnal Infared heat lamp. I don’t know what company is best or if there is one. My mother is afraid that something will start a fire and i have no idea since i have never had a beardie ever. I have done as much research as i could but couldn’t find anything on it. Is fire a high risk with lighting for bearded dragons?

Powersun is a mercury vapor bulb that has uvb and heat. An additional heat bulb on the cool side of the cage would most likely increase temps too much. An additional tube UVB bulb would increase range being reached as well as provide additional visual lighting if you really want it, otherwise the power sun is all you need if temps areally aleady correct.

Hi, I am currently thinking about getting a Bearded Dragon but I’m not sure if they are good around bright colors considering that the room where I think I’m keeping the Bearded Dragon is mint green and coral. If that is a problem I could probably have the Bearded Dragon in another room but it might also be best if I might wait for if I ever redo the room and paint it to a more calm color. I also have a lot of experience with Reptiles and Amphibians in the past but have yet to own a Bearded Dragon, I have been researching about them for two weeks now.

I have just invested in a 55 gallon fish tank for my bearded lizard and I was wondering what should the lighting be for it. Right now I have an uvb bulb that is 10.0 and another white light that is 100 watt. Is that enough?

Hello. I have 55G. all glass aquarium. (*48 X 13 X 18) . I have all hardwood floors and it is winter. It’s harder to keep tank at correct temperature. I’ve figured it out for my tank. I’m using a 48″ Exo-Terra T8 tube and 2 Exo-Terra (1x 160w. & 1x 80w.) Solar Glo mercury vapor bulb. Any time other than winter it would be to much. Also i adopted my beardie knowing that she has MBD and would need the best to reverse it. My other tanks only use 1x 160w. Solar glo and a 125w. Basking lamp. Hope that helps a little.